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The City of Cape Town is actively looking into harvesting stormwater as one of the ways to boost its water resources.

This follows criticism of how the city is allowing stormwater to run down gutters and into the sea without being put to good use.

But Dr Kevin Winter from the Future Water Institute at UCT says the water is not really going to waste as it is needed by rivers, wetlands and waterways.

One of the real challenges with Stormwater is that you need space to keep it and when it is right down on the ground it is difficult to capture that water.

— Dr Kevin Winter, the Future Water Institute at UCT

You can manage the stormwater but it has to be done very carefully with improved monitoring and a lot of skill. We are hoping the City is going to start experimenting on a very small scale or some pilot study in order to see whether it is possible.

— Dr Kevin Winter, the Future Water Institute at UCT

To hear the rest of the discussion on stormwater harvesting, listen below: